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Chinese Zodiac: Which Animal Am I? 十二生肖
The Chinese zodiac (生肖, shēngxiào) has 12 animals in a fixed order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Your animal is set by your birth year counted from Chinese New Year's Day, not January 1. The current year is the Fire Horse (丙午); 2027 is the Year of the Fire Goat, starting Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The 12 animals
Each animal matches one of the twelve earthly branches (地支) of the traditional calendar, which also name the months and the two-hour periods of the day.
| # | Animal | Years (from 1948) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rat鼠 shǔ · 子 · 2027 outlook | 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| 2 | Ox牛 niú · 丑 · 2027 outlook | 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| 3 | Tiger虎 hǔ · 寅 · 2027 outlook | 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| 4 | Rabbit兔 tù · 卯 · 2027 outlook | 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| 5 | Dragon龙 lóng · 辰 · 2027 outlook | 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| 6 | Snake蛇 shé · 巳 · 2027 outlook | 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| 7 | Horse马 mǎ · 午 · 2027 outlook | 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| 8 | Goat羊 yáng · 未 · 2027 outlook | 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 |
| 9 | Monkey猴 hóu · 申 · 2027 outlook | 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 |
| 10 | Rooster鸡 jī · 酉 · 2027 outlook | 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 |
| 11 | Dog狗 gǒu · 戌 · 2027 outlook | 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 |
| 12 | Pig猪 zhū · 亥 · 2027 outlook | 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 |
Years shown are lunar years; each starts on Chinese New Year's Day. Detailed guides are on the way; the Goat is first, ahead of the 2027 Goat year.
Which animal am I? Lunar year dates, 1940–2031
Find your birth year. If your birthday falls before the start date, you belong to the year above. For example, someone born on February 5, 2027 is still a Fire Horse, not a Goat.
| Year | Animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Metal Dragon庚辰 龙 | Feb 8, 1940 | Jan 26, 1941 |
| 1941 | Metal Snake辛巳 蛇 | Jan 27, 1941 | Feb 14, 1942 |
| 1942 | Water Horse壬午 马 | Feb 15, 1942 | Feb 4, 1943 |
| 1943 | Water Goat癸未 羊 | Feb 5, 1943 | Jan 24, 1944 |
| 1944 | Wood Monkey甲申 猴 | Jan 25, 1944 | Feb 12, 1945 |
| 1945 | Wood Rooster乙酉 鸡 | Feb 13, 1945 | Feb 1, 1946 |
| 1946 | Fire Dog丙戌 狗 | Feb 2, 1946 | Jan 21, 1947 |
| 1947 | Fire Pig丁亥 猪 | Jan 22, 1947 | Feb 9, 1948 |
| 1948 | Earth Rat戊子 鼠 | Feb 10, 1948 | Jan 28, 1949 |
| 1949 | Earth Ox己丑 牛 | Jan 29, 1949 | Feb 16, 1950 |
| 1950 | Metal Tiger庚寅 虎 | Feb 17, 1950 | Feb 5, 1951 |
| 1951 | Metal Rabbit辛卯 兔 | Feb 6, 1951 | Jan 26, 1952 |
| 1952 | Water Dragon壬辰 龙 | Jan 27, 1952 | Feb 13, 1953 |
| 1953 | Water Snake癸巳 蛇 | Feb 14, 1953 | Feb 2, 1954 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse甲午 马 | Feb 3, 1954 | Jan 23, 1955 |
| 1955 | Wood Goat乙未 羊 | Jan 24, 1955 | Feb 11, 1956 |
| 1956 | Fire Monkey丙申 猴 | Feb 12, 1956 | Jan 30, 1957 |
| 1957 | Fire Rooster丁酉 鸡 | Jan 31, 1957 | Feb 17, 1958 |
| 1958 | Earth Dog戊戌 狗 | Feb 18, 1958 | Feb 7, 1959 |
| 1959 | Earth Pig己亥 猪 | Feb 8, 1959 | Jan 27, 1960 |
| 1960 | Metal Rat庚子 鼠 | Jan 28, 1960 | Feb 14, 1961 |
| 1961 | Metal Ox辛丑 牛 | Feb 15, 1961 | Feb 4, 1962 |
| 1962 | Water Tiger壬寅 虎 | Feb 5, 1962 | Jan 24, 1963 |
| 1963 | Water Rabbit癸卯 兔 | Jan 25, 1963 | Feb 12, 1964 |
| 1964 | Wood Dragon甲辰 龙 | Feb 13, 1964 | Feb 1, 1965 |
| 1965 | Wood Snake乙巳 蛇 | Feb 2, 1965 | Jan 20, 1966 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse丙午 马 | Jan 21, 1966 | Feb 8, 1967 |
| 1967 | Fire Goat丁未 羊 | Feb 9, 1967 | Jan 29, 1968 |
| 1968 | Earth Monkey戊申 猴 | Jan 30, 1968 | Feb 16, 1969 |
| 1969 | Earth Rooster己酉 鸡 | Feb 17, 1969 | Feb 5, 1970 |
| 1970 | Metal Dog庚戌 狗 | Feb 6, 1970 | Jan 26, 1971 |
| 1971 | Metal Pig辛亥 猪 | Jan 27, 1971 | Feb 14, 1972 |
| 1972 | Water Rat壬子 鼠 | Feb 15, 1972 | Feb 2, 1973 |
| 1973 | Water Ox癸丑 牛 | Feb 3, 1973 | Jan 22, 1974 |
| 1974 | Wood Tiger甲寅 虎 | Jan 23, 1974 | Feb 10, 1975 |
| 1975 | Wood Rabbit乙卯 兔 | Feb 11, 1975 | Jan 30, 1976 |
| 1976 | Fire Dragon丙辰 龙 | Jan 31, 1976 | Feb 17, 1977 |
| 1977 | Fire Snake丁巳 蛇 | Feb 18, 1977 | Feb 6, 1978 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse戊午 马 | Feb 7, 1978 | Jan 27, 1979 |
| 1979 | Earth Goat己未 羊 | Jan 28, 1979 | Feb 15, 1980 |
| 1980 | Metal Monkey庚申 猴 | Feb 16, 1980 | Feb 4, 1981 |
| 1981 | Metal Rooster辛酉 鸡 | Feb 5, 1981 | Jan 24, 1982 |
| 1982 | Water Dog壬戌 狗 | Jan 25, 1982 | Feb 12, 1983 |
| 1983 | Water Pig癸亥 猪 | Feb 13, 1983 | Feb 1, 1984 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat甲子 鼠 | Feb 2, 1984 | Feb 19, 1985 |
| 1985 | Wood Ox乙丑 牛 | Feb 20, 1985 | Feb 8, 1986 |
| 1986 | Fire Tiger丙寅 虎 | Feb 9, 1986 | Jan 28, 1987 |
| 1987 | Fire Rabbit丁卯 兔 | Jan 29, 1987 | Feb 16, 1988 |
| 1988 | Earth Dragon戊辰 龙 | Feb 17, 1988 | Feb 5, 1989 |
| 1989 | Earth Snake己巳 蛇 | Feb 6, 1989 | Jan 26, 1990 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse庚午 马 | Jan 27, 1990 | Feb 14, 1991 |
| 1991 | Metal Goat辛未 羊 | Feb 15, 1991 | Feb 3, 1992 |
| 1992 | Water Monkey壬申 猴 | Feb 4, 1992 | Jan 22, 1993 |
| 1993 | Water Rooster癸酉 鸡 | Jan 23, 1993 | Feb 9, 1994 |
| 1994 | Wood Dog甲戌 狗 | Feb 10, 1994 | Jan 30, 1995 |
| 1995 | Wood Pig乙亥 猪 | Jan 31, 1995 | Feb 18, 1996 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat丙子 鼠 | Feb 19, 1996 | Feb 6, 1997 |
| 1997 | Fire Ox丁丑 牛 | Feb 7, 1997 | Jan 27, 1998 |
| 1998 | Earth Tiger戊寅 虎 | Jan 28, 1998 | Feb 15, 1999 |
| 1999 | Earth Rabbit己卯 兔 | Feb 16, 1999 | Feb 4, 2000 |
| 2000 | Metal Dragon庚辰 龙 | Feb 5, 2000 | Jan 23, 2001 |
| 2001 | Metal Snake辛巳 蛇 | Jan 24, 2001 | Feb 11, 2002 |
| 2002 | Water Horse壬午 马 | Feb 12, 2002 | Jan 31, 2003 |
| 2003 | Water Goat癸未 羊 | Feb 1, 2003 | Jan 21, 2004 |
| 2004 | Wood Monkey甲申 猴 | Jan 22, 2004 | Feb 8, 2005 |
| 2005 | Wood Rooster乙酉 鸡 | Feb 9, 2005 | Jan 28, 2006 |
| 2006 | Fire Dog丙戌 狗 | Jan 29, 2006 | Feb 17, 2007 |
| 2007 | Fire Pig丁亥 猪 | Feb 18, 2007 | Feb 6, 2008 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat戊子 鼠 | Feb 7, 2008 | Jan 25, 2009 |
| 2009 | Earth Ox己丑 牛 | Jan 26, 2009 | Feb 13, 2010 |
| 2010 | Metal Tiger庚寅 虎 | Feb 14, 2010 | Feb 2, 2011 |
| 2011 | Metal Rabbit辛卯 兔 | Feb 3, 2011 | Jan 22, 2012 |
| 2012 | Water Dragon壬辰 龙 | Jan 23, 2012 | Feb 9, 2013 |
| 2013 | Water Snake癸巳 蛇 | Feb 10, 2013 | Jan 30, 2014 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse甲午 马 | Jan 31, 2014 | Feb 18, 2015 |
| 2015 | Wood Goat乙未 羊 | Feb 19, 2015 | Feb 7, 2016 |
| 2016 | Fire Monkey丙申 猴 | Feb 8, 2016 | Jan 27, 2017 |
| 2017 | Fire Rooster丁酉 鸡 | Jan 28, 2017 | Feb 15, 2018 |
| 2018 | Earth Dog戊戌 狗 | Feb 16, 2018 | Feb 4, 2019 |
| 2019 | Earth Pig己亥 猪 | Feb 5, 2019 | Jan 24, 2020 |
| 2020 | Metal Rat庚子 鼠 | Jan 25, 2020 | Feb 11, 2021 |
| 2021 | Metal Ox辛丑 牛 | Feb 12, 2021 | Jan 31, 2022 |
| 2022 | Water Tiger壬寅 虎 | Feb 1, 2022 | Jan 21, 2023 |
| 2023 | Water Rabbit癸卯 兔 | Jan 22, 2023 | Feb 9, 2024 |
| 2024 | Wood Dragon甲辰 龙 | Feb 10, 2024 | Jan 28, 2025 |
| 2025 | Wood Snake乙巳 蛇 | Jan 29, 2025 | Feb 16, 2026 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse丙午 马 | Feb 17, 2026 | Feb 5, 2027 |
| 2027 | Fire Goat丁未 羊 | Feb 6, 2027 | Jan 25, 2028 |
| 2028 | Earth Monkey戊申 猴 | Jan 26, 2028 | Feb 12, 2029 |
| 2029 | Earth Rooster己酉 鸡 | Feb 13, 2029 | Feb 2, 2030 |
| 2030 | Metal Dog庚戌 狗 | Feb 3, 2030 | Jan 22, 2031 |
| 2031 | Metal Pig辛亥 猪 | Jan 23, 2031 | Feb 10, 2032 |
Computed from the traditional Chinese calendar. Bazi practitioners start the year at 立春 (around February 4) instead of New Year's Day.
Animals and elements
A full year name pairs the animal with one of ten heavenly stems (天干), each tied to one of the five elements: Wood (甲乙), Fire (丙丁), Earth (戊己), Metal (庚辛) and Water (壬癸). Ten stems and twelve branches combine into a 60-year cycle (六十甲子), which is why a Fire Goat year like 2027 only comes around every 60 years. To see all of this for your own birthday, including the month, day and hour, try the bazi reader.
Common questions
What are the 12 Chinese zodiac animals in order?
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. The order is fixed and repeats every 12 years.
How do I find my Chinese zodiac animal?
Find your birth year in the table, then check the start date. If you were born before that year's Chinese New Year (usually a January or early February birthday), your animal is the one from the year before.
What is the Chinese zodiac animal for 2027?
The Goat. 2027 is a 丁未 Fire Goat year, from Feb 6, 2027 to Jan 25, 2028. 2028 is the Earth Monkey.
What do the elements mean in the Chinese zodiac?
Each year also has one of five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), taken from the year's heavenly stem. Each element lasts two years, so the same animal-element pair returns every 60 years.
Does the zodiac year start at New Year or on February 4?
In everyday use, at Chinese New Year. In bazi (八字) astrology the year starts at the Start of Spring solar term (立春), around February 4. The two only disagree for birthdays between the two dates.